Tuesday 14 October 2014

Not afraid to get pecked.......................................................................... or bitten!

My best friend Mandy has no fear of wildlife... these images were captured over the last 24 months.

The jetty is at the bottom of her dad's garden on our local waterway the River Weaver.

 On this trip to Reedesmere we ended up giving away the breakfast cereal we had just purchased.

The swans enjoyed their treat...

... some a bit more than others!

Juvenile Herring Gulls like biscuits... they really do peck!

The squirrels in Chester are so trusting...

...though we don't encourage doing this in the garden.

 Feeding the Black-headed Gulls during our latest holiday to Cumbria.

...too quick for me this time.

Bar-headed Geese... another greedy species and very vocal.

Mandy does insist on wearing gloves sometimes... and not just to keep out the cold.

She also enjoys being behind the lens... and is getting some fantastic images.
I hope to share some of those soon.

23 comments:

ADRIAN said...

Great shots Andrew.
Toads won't excrete that awful smell as long as you don't squeeze or cover them. If they do then just say bad toad and crush a raw tomato in your hands.

TexWisGirl said...

she's a good woman. :)

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Wasn't she considering starting her own blog at one time?

eileeninmd said...

Your friend Mandy is brave hand feeding the birds and animals.. Great photos, thanks for sharing.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

WOW! I cannot get over how close Mandy is to the deer. Also the next time you are hand feeding, what about taking video? that way we will see all the actions.

Pantherka said...


Wow, Andrew, this is beautiful.

Ruby said...

Oh wow.. your friend is fearless. I guess one has to be loving and fearless for wildlife to be trusting.

Unknown said...

Wonderful images! I wouldn't want my fingers that near a swan's beak, they're very powerful.

Andrea @ From The Sol said...

What a lovely companion and perfect in that she clearly shares in your interests. I don't think it is fear that is an issue ... it is trust. She has clearly been around enough animals to know who to and when to trust ... though I think being that clost to a deer in rut, might be pushing it a little. My animals are not tame and I allow them to be that way for their own safety, but if they are already habituated to humans, than it seems like a wonderfully fun thing to do ... You go for it Mandy! Great post, Andrew ...

Andrea @ From the Sol

Stephanie said...

Great shots! I am having problems accessing your blog these days. Popups show up behind browser when I close down my browser and it causes both my computer and ipad to crash at times or rather freezes. So I will only click on the cool button for now on. So sorry but it is a problem for me as I do love seeing your photos.

Karen said...

A true animal lover!

Phil Slade said...

Mandy looks so adventurous and unafraid - especially when so close to those antlers.

Bob Bushell said...

Great woman, she goes and gets a brilliant collection, nice.

EG CameraGirl said...

Mandy does seem to be very comfortable with wildlife! I really like these photos!

4ncü Ev said...

How lucky you are to have a friend like Mandy, a fearless wildlife lover and a talented wildlife photographer. Have a great week both, ciao! :)

MadSnapper said...

a big WOW on that last shot because she is so close to that magnificent creature. jealousy is my name. i would love to feed those swans. we feed flamingo's here like that.

Rajesh said...

Great set of images.

A Colorful World said...

She's the animal whisperer! :-) I would have been so worried in that last shot, the stag would rise and come after me. She is so close!

BumbleVee said...

She better also be a bit careful.... deer, elk and the like are very powerful and can be very dangerous... people around here get severely injured and, even killed sometimes.... trying to get that one step closer to some of them.... especially in rut season with the males or when the females have fawns to protect .....

Anonymous said...

Andrew, these are great shots of your friend interacting with wildlife. I can't believe how close she is to that deer! Would love to see some of her work.

Magia da Inês said...

✿✿彡。°
Amei as fotos! Lindassssss!

Ótimo dia com tudo de bom!
Beijinhos.
°。✿⊱。·..

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

You have the perfect person in your life! As well as the perfect places for amazing photo ops!

Adam Tilt said...

Brave! Look forward to seeing those Deer shots.